CCC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL RELEASE

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish first overall in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) preseason coaches' poll for the upcoming 2017-18 season, as announced by the conference office earlier today. 

The Gulls earned 99 points and nine of a possible 10 first place votes in this year's preseason coaches' poll, which was completed last week by the league's 10 men's ice hockey head coaches. 

Endicott, the defending CCC Tournament Champions, posted a 24-4-2 overall (14-3-1 CCC) record and went into the CCC Tournament as the top seed. In the Championship game, Cam Bleck (Lake Forrest, Ill.) scored in the final seconds of regulation to earn Endicott the first-ever CCC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament title. 

In the NCAA Tournament, the Gulls snatched a 4-3 road victory against Hobart in the First Round and took Trinity to double-overtime before succumbing, 2-1, in the NCAA Quarterfinals. 

Ultimately, the Gulls ended the 2016-17 season ranked No. 6 nationally in both the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com year-end polls. Endicott will bring back almost its entire squad from last season that ranked tops in the country among the following categories: No. 1 scoring offense (4.83 g/gm), No. 6 scoring defense (1.97 g/gm), No. 1 scoring margin (2.87), No. 3 power play (28.1%, 43/153), No. 12 penalty kill (86.5%, 147/170), No. 2 combined special teams (58.8%, 190/323), and No. 2 team winning percentage (.833, 24-4-2).

2017-18 Commonwealth Coast Conference Preseason Poll 

*First place votes in parentheses  

(some information in this release courtesy of the CCC)

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